Poverty (Make Poverty History)

Seven of Nine · **Wed Mar 16, 2005 2:05 pm Poverty (Make Poverty History)**

Now, I wanted this topic for a couple of reasons. It's taken me about two days to decide, but I think it's better in here than Chit Chat

First of all, 2005 is the year of the Make Poverty History campaign (it's called the One Campaign in the US and may be called other things in your area). Since these things always have a symbol, this one has a white band. The aim is to end world poverty, which can only be achieved through international co-operation. 2005 has been chasen as the year the G8 meet in Scotland. If we pressurise our world leaders enough, we can make them realise it's not the economy which is most important, or just our individual countries, but it's the lives of every single person in the world. No-one should have to die just because they are poor. HIV and AIDS can be beaten, but only if all countries, especially those who have power and money, help.

Currently, the aid that many countries get doesn't even cover the interest payments of the loans they have from the countries who gave them the aid. Also, many of the conditions attached to the aid also prevents these countries from pulling themselves out of poverty. Third World Debt should be cancelled. The countries who issued these debts don't require them to be repayed. The campaign (http://www.makepovertyhistory.com) believes we can now end the shameful situation where 30,000 children are dying every single day because of poverty.

TRADE JUSTICE. DROP THE DEBT. MORE AND BETTER AID. That is all that the make poverty history campaign is asking for. The G8 countries said in 2001 they were going to halve world poverty by 2015. However, at this rate this won't occur. 2005 is another chance for us to make poverty history.

The second reason I wanted this topic is to ask a more general question- What is your definition of poverty? Is it relative to whatever is the norm in that country, or is there another way of defining it? I'd love to hear what you think.

Raven_voy · Lieutenant Joined: 22 Dec 2004 Posts: 149

Those clips are just terribly sad. I had seen them before and I've also contributed to them. Thanks for bringing this up.

Seven of Nine · **Wed Mar 16, 2005 3:00 pm**

Comic Relief also mentioned this- I'd already heard of it from my political newspaper and stuff. The clips are horrible to watch, and when I recorded Comic Relief I started fast forwarding through the ones I'd already seen. We do need to know what's going on though.

Hitchhiker · **Thu Mar 17, 2005 11:02 am**

Poverty is that terrible human condition when a person's needs are not being met, according to the average standard of their society. It is the effect of the unequal distribution of wealth across the social strata.

TIME just did a big article on poverty as an excerpt from Jeffrey Sachs' new book, The End of Poverty.